Arsinoitherium
''Arsinoitherium ''is a genus of paeungulate mammal which lived during the Eocene epoch. Despite its appearance resembling a rhinoceros or hippo, Arsinoitherium is in fact more closely related to elephants. Facts A massive animal that waddled, Arsinoitherium would swing the weights of their bodies from side to side and tracks are widely spread, just like a modern camel's are. These creatures were fruit eaters and had extraordinary horns. Males horns were splayd out whereas the females were much more vertical. Those horns were used by males for defense and fighting. Arsinotheres might have looked like rhinos, but these animals were in fact more closely related to elephants. More surprising still is that they lived like hippos. Arsinotheres were not sea monsters, but amphibious ones. There was plentiful food in mangroves for huge vegetarians like these. Arsinoitherium was adapted to deal with the changing tides. )]]When alive, it would have superficially resembled a rhinoceros, and have been about 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) tall at the shoulders, and 3 meters (9.8 ft) long. The most noticeable feature of ''Arsinoitherium was a pair of enormous knife-like horns with cores of solid bone that projected from above the nose, and a second pair of tiny, knob-like horns on top of the head, immediately behind the larger horns. The skeleton is robust but shows that it was descended from a cursorial ancestor, and that the beast may have been able to run if it had to, like a modern elephant or rhinoceros. Its limb bones also suggest that the columnar legs of the living animal were elephant-like (especially since they ended in five-toed feet), rather than rhinoceros-like. Arsinoitherium had a full complement of 44 teeth, which is the primitive state of placental mammalian dentition, suggesting that it was a selective browser. The large size and hefty build of Arsinoitherium would have rendered it largely immune to predation. However, Creodonts may have preyed on the young or infirm. )]] In the series Sea Monsters Sea Monsters, Episode 2 A pile of ''Arsinoitherium dung was found by Nigel Marven. He then followed a set of footprints made by an Arsinoitherium until he found it browsing. Nigel offered it an apple from the 21st century but it charged at Nigel like a modern day rhinoceros, mistaking him as a threat. Nigel managed to escape whilst it jumped into the mangrove water to swim. Nigel followed the Arsinoitherium before then following a pair of Dorudon. As Nigel's boat left the mangroves for the open sea, the Arsinoitherium was seen briefly one last time, emerging ashore in another mangrove thicket. Gallery SM1x2 Arsinoitherium 3.jpg SM1x2 Arsinoitherium 15.jpg SM1x2 Arsinoitherium 22.jpg SM1x2 Arsinoitherium 30.jpg SM1x2 Arsinoitherium 34.jpg Trivia *''Arsinoitherium is the largest terrestrial mammal to appear in ''Sea Monsters. Category:Mammals Category:Herbivores Category:Walking with Wikia Category:Sea Monsters Animals Category:Sea Monsters Episode 2 animals Category:Paleogene animals Category:Eocene Animals Category:Oligocene animals Category:Animals from Africa Category:Animals from Sahara Desert Category:Animals from Egypt Category:Animals from Ethiopia Category:Animals from Libya Category:Animals from Angola Category:Animals from Oman Category:Amphibious animals Category:Vertebrates Category:Animals Category:Chordates Category:Solitary animals Category:Quadrupedal animals Category:Elephants